More Articles

CINCINNATI -- Two Ohio nurses were sentenced to probation today in the malnutrition death of a
14-year-old girl who had cerebral palsy and weighed 28 pounds when she died, avoiding a sentence of
up to one-and-a-half years in prison.

Mary Kilby of Miamisburg and Kathryn Williams of Englewood were sentenced to up to five years
of probation in the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas in Dayton stemming from the March 1,
2011, death of Makayla Norman.

Authorities say the teen had numerous bed sores and was living in filthy conditions when she
died from nutritional and medical neglect complicated by cerebral palsy in what a coroner said at
the time was the “worst malnourished child” his office had ever seen.

Kilby, 64, and Williams, 43, had pleaded no contest to charges of failing to provide for a
functionally impaired child and could have faced up to 18 months in prison at their sentencing.

As part of the sentence, handed down by Judge Mary Katherine Huffman, both women had to agree
to surrender their nursing licenses and will no longer be allowed to practice in Ohio.

They both still face misdemeanor charges in a juvenile court that could carry prison time and
have a status conference scheduled for Monday. The trial in that court has not yet been scheduled.

The nurses’ attorneys argued that they had much less significant roles in Makayla’s death
than the teen’s mother and another nurse.

Her mother, Angela Norman of Dayton, was sentenced to nine years in prison stemming from the
death. The other nurse, Mollie Parsons, is set for trial Nov. 5 and has pleaded not guilty to
charges of involuntary manslaughter, failing to provide for a functionally impaired child and
tampering with records.

Prosecutors say the teen was supposed to be cared for by her mother and Parsons, whose job
was to administer care to the girl six days a week.

Williams was to supervise Parsons, visit and inspect the living conditions, and do a physical
assessment of the girl every 30 to 60 days, and Kilby was scheduled to visit every six months to
check on conditions in the home and assess the girl’s health, needs and care, prosecutors say.

Brad Baldwin, Williams’ attorney, said his client “is very, very heartbroken and remorseful.”

“Throughout Kathryn’s nursing career, she’s done many good things and helped many people,” he
said. “This is a case where things went terribly wrong, but she does take full responsibility for
her involvement in this tragedy.”

Dennis Lieberman, who represents Kilby, said the retired grandmother also regrets Makayla’s
death.

“If Mary could go back in time, she would have done things differently,” he said.